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| “ | So often faith is used by the powerful to keep their people docile. Accepting the misery of their lives for the promise of a better one in the hereafter. | „ |
| ~ Cressida |
Cressida is a major antagonist in the AMC series Into the Badlands.
She is a blood witch who found Pilgrim as a child and raised him to fulfill his mission to rebuild a new Azra, a utopian kingdom where Dark Ones would rule. Despite her fierce loyalty to Pilgrim, she is willing to do anything to make sure his mission is a success, even if it means discarding their own followers or murdering those who oppose them.
She was portrayed by Lorraine Toussaint, who also played Yvonne Parker in Orange Is The New Black, Shadow Weaver in She-Ra and Princess of Power, Masago in Star Wars: Visisons and Angela Martin in Body of Proof.
Personality[]
As the high priestess of Pilgrim and his followers, Cressida is extremely dedicated to their cause to build a new Azra, truly believing that Pilgrim is a messiah who will shape the world. Her infatuation with Pilgrim has been present since the time that she found him as a child, with her having raised him like a mother, but later going on to be his lover once he was an adult. That said, Cressida is willing to go behind his back if it means benefitting their mission, as best seen when she convinced Castor to go into battle despite knowing that he would likely die if he used his Gift once again despite Pilgrim wanting him to stay. Cressida was not sadistic, often even convincing Pilgrim to not act on his more violent impulses, but had no qualms about killing their enemies in order to achieve their mission, such as when she killed Lydia in order to escape. However, upon seeing a vision that Pilgrim would eventually kill her, she attempted to talk him out of his violent crusade, and even eventually abandoned him, showing that the mission to build Azra was always based in her own self interest.
Biography[]
Journey to find Azra[]
In the early days of her life, Cressida was a high priestess in an unknown location, where she read about the mythical city of Azra, a place ruled by Dark Ones. One day, a boy named Taurin was found on the steps of Cressida's residence, who spoke of his history as one of the last children of Azra. Pilgrim told Cressida of how he lived in Azra before it was destroyed by the Black Lotus, with only himself and two other children named Sanzō and Kannin escaping. While others did not believe him, Cressida used her blood magic in order to see into the future, having visions which proved that Taurin would build a new Azra in the ruins of the old one. She took him in and begin nursing him back to health, with him eventually taking the new name of Pilgrim. He had the ability to turn off the Gift in others, a unique power he was born with, claiming to have been blessed by the Gods. Pilgrim experienced seizures due to his power, but was tended to by Cressida, who believed in him and his mission to build a new Azra. Once Pilgrim entered adulthood, the two began traveling the world in search of the first temple of Azra, which contained a device known as the Meridian Chamber, the origin of the Gift that served as the foundation of the original Azra. In their travels, Cressida and Pilgrim amassed an army of followers who put their old lives behind in hopes of building a new Azra where people like them would be safe. This included two Dark Ones, Castor and Nix, who served as Pilgrim's primary enforcers against their enemies. After years of traveling, Cressida and Pilgrim suddenly receive a signal from an Azran radio tower, which they falsely believe came from Sanzō. The signal contains the coordinates of the first temple of Azra, which Pilgrim and his followers travel to. Pilgrim, alongside Castor and Nix, attack one of Baron Chau's checkpoints, telling the lone surviving Clipper to go back to his Baron and tell the Badlands to either join Pilgrim's cause, or die. The group finally arrives at the temple, finding it to be on an island in the center of a river. They sail to the temple and explore it's contents, finding it to be an abandoned 21st century museum. Cressida rejoices, believing their faith and long journey to have finally been rewarded.
While exploring the temple, some of Pilgrim's followers doubt his mission as they are disappointed in the temple, expecting more out of their long journey. Pilgrim faces them in combat, defeating the doubters and assuaging the followers who's faith was hindering. That night there is a full moon, prompting Cressida and Pilgrim to perform a blood ritual in order to look into the future, with her seeing everything that he may accomplish. Around this time, they begin recruiting on the Widow's land, leading to a meeting between her and Pilgrim to request he end the practice as she is currently in a war against Baron Chau. During the meeting Cressida shows the Widow's Viceroy Lydia around the temple, and the two discuss Pilgrim's mission, as Lydia was raised by a religious fanatic and as such is extremely distrustful of Cressida and Pilgrim, believing them to be founding a cult. However, the meeting is cut short by the arrival of a group of assassins led by Chau, having been led by her brother Gaius Chau with the goal of killing Pilgrim. Castor is able to overpower and kill the assassins using his Gift, with the Widow and Pilgrim departing under the agreement that he will temporarily stop recruiting on her land. After this, Cressida and Pilgrim confront Chau with the severed heads of the dead assassins, requesting that she provide them with workers as a debt for attempting to kill Pilgrim. Upon returning to the temple, Cressida and Pilgrim discuss the issue of Castor's declining health due to overusing his Gift, with Cressida revealing that a new Dark One will soon be joining them, having foresaw it with her blood magic. Nix is sent out into the woods to bring back the new Dark One, a boy named M.K. who is able to use his Gift without cutting himself, unlike Castor and Nix. Castor asks if Cressida can heal him, but she tells him that he is dying, and that the only way to extend his life would be to give up on fighting. He says fighting is all he knows, and Cressida sends him to oversee Chau's Clippers and make sure they are successful in providing workers for Pilgrim. Cressida is reprimanded for this by Pilgrim, as this would ensure Castor's death, but Cressida says that Pilgrim's love for the boy has blinded him. He warns her that if she goes behind his back again, there will be consequences.
Building an army[]
After Chau's forces deliver the workers she promised, Castor is eventually returned to Pilgrim and Cressida by the Widow, who captured him but decided to bring him back to them so as to not start a war with Pilgrim's forces. He is very ill due to overuse of his Gift, and begins to lash out at Pilgrim as his impending death has caused him to doubt their mission. This lashing out causes Pilgrim to kill Castor in private to prevent him from causing doubt within their followers. Cressida is present at the funeral of Castor, and later comforts Pilgrim over doing what they both believed had to be done. The workers provided by Chau dig in the area around the temple until they find the entrance to the Meridian Chamber. Cressida and Pilgrim enter and are greatly satisfied to have found the machine after years of searching. Pilgrim inserts his Azran compass into the machine, activating it, but they find that despite being able to turn it on, Pilgrim cannot unlock the machines abilities without Sanzō, who is considered to be the catalyst of Azra. Around this time, Sanzō, now named Sunny, and his traveling companion Bajie arrive at the temple seeking Pilgrim's help, as Sunny's son Henry has developed the Gift in infancy, and that he has been told of Pilgrim's quest to control the Gift, which would enable him to cure Henry of the Gift. Upon Sunny's arrival, Cressida welcomes him, still believing him to have been the one who sent the original signal out to them. However, Bajie reveals that it was actually him who sent out the signal to them, although he now regrets it as he was tricked into doing so and is only there to help Sunny's son. Cressida is initially happy to see Pilgrim reunited with Sunny after so long, but grows distrustful of him due to him not caring about their mission and only wanting to help his son. While traversing the temple, Bajie finds a book on the Meridian Chamber and reveals that he can read Azran, questioning Cressida on it's purpose. She reveals that the Meridian Chamber can give the Gift to anyone, which Bajie claims will give them an army of Dark Ones to take over the world with. Cressida then tells Bajie that in the new Azra they will build, the children will know it was him who made this possible, and that his name will live forever.
Bajie attempts to destroy the chamber, but is stopped and imprisoned. Sunny finally unlocks the Meridian Chamber's power, and he and Pilgrim use it to transfer Henry's Gift to Pilgrim, giving him the Gift despite him not being born with it. After this, Pilgrim gives the Gift to a group of his followers, and Sunny begins to see the danger of Pilgrim's newfound power, no longer blinded by wanting to save his son. Cressida tells Pilgrim of this, but he refuses to listen. Sunny then frees Bajie and has him get Henry to safety while he destroys the Meridian Chamber. He is stopped by M.K., and brought before Pilgrim. They fight, and Sunny is thrown from the temple into the surrounding lake, seemingly killing him. Cressida and Pilgrim then enlist one of their followers to repair the Meridian Chamber, as Sunny managed to do a large amount of damage to it. Cressida tells Pilgrim that she warned him of Sunny's betrayal, but Pilgrim rebuffs this, saying that Sunny paid for it with his life, but Cressida questions this, saying that Sunny could still be alive, and potentially destroy everything they have built. Pilgrim sends his followers to the nearby woods to find Sunny's body and confirm his death, but the follower that does find Sunny is killed, who is alive. The followers are reprimanded by Pilgrim for their failure, and nearly kills one of them, but is stopped by Nix with her Gift. Cressida notices that Nix used her Gift without cutting, and questions how she did it. Nix reveals to Cressida she knows Pilgrim killed Castor, and by focusing on a thought as painful as that, she is able to use her Gift at will. Pilgrim then sends his Dark One followers including M.K. and Nix to kill Sunny, knowing he must be alive if the non-Gifted followers failed to find his body. Sunny is nearly killed by M.K. but is saved by Nix, who has turned against Pilgrim. M.K. is overpowered by Sunny and Nix, and returns to the temple where Cressida tends to his injuries. Pilgrim questions if he can trust M.K., to which he reveals he can provide Pilgrim with a Dark Ones army while the Meridian Chamber is repaired. M.K. tells them of the Abbot Monastery, where a woman named the Master captures and trains Dark Ones. Pilgrim and M.K. depart to attack the Monastery, and leaves Cressida behind to watch over the temple.
War for the Badlands[]
Pilgrim and M.K. return with a group of young Dark Ones that they freed from the Master's control, and they are initiated into Pilgrim's following by him and Cressida. Pilgrim has grown weak due to the toll his Gift is taking on him, but is not willing to accept help from anyone, even Cressida. She is then sent alongside two of Pilgrim's Dark One followers to negotiate with Lydia to create a potential alliance between Pilgrim and the Widow, who has defeated Chau and now controls the Badlands. Cressida asks for workers from Lydia or else face a potential attack from Pilgrim's Dark Ones. When the workers are not provided, Cressida returns and gives them a warning to fulfill Pilgrim's demands or face retribution, but Nix appears and holds a blade to Cressida's throat, revealing that she has joined the Widow's forces in the oncoming war against Pilgrim. Cressida is captured, and the two Dark Ones who were brought with her must retreat as they are unable to defeat Nix. Pilgrim is enraged at Cressida being captured, and he immediately launches an invasion on the Widow's territory to rescue her. Cressida is locked in a prison cell, but she suddenly requests to speak to the Widow, claiming she has information that the Widow will want to hear. The Widow meets with her, and Cressida then reveals that she can sense that the Widow is pregnant, and that with her ability of foresight, she can see that if the Widow keeps fighting, that her unborn child will die. This shakes the Widow greatly, who then departs. Cressida then casts a blood spell by cutting her tongue which causes the sky over the Widow's territory to rain blood, thus halting their war effort. Lydia then locks Cressida in the brig to hopefully restrict her magic. During Pilgrim's invasion, Lydia is sent to execute Cressida. However, Cressida then uses her blood magic's foresight to the height of its ability, allowing her to see several seconds into the future and thus fight in a way that is indistinguishable from the Gift. Cressida overpowers Lydia and takes her dagger from her, then stabbing it into her stomach. Cressida tells Lydia that she will be welcome onto Azra, then leaving her to die and departing.
Cressida reunites with Pilgrim's forces and they return to the temple, with the temple having been finally restored. Pilgrim begins giving the Gift to as many of his followers as he can, but it interrupted by the sudden arrival of Kannin, who has been alive all this time. She explains that in their childhood the elders of Azra wished to eventually kill all who did not possess the Gift, a fact unknown to Sunny and Pilgrim. When Pilgrim says he will follow in the footsteps of Azra's founders, Kannin tells him the Gift has poisoned his mind. Cressida tells her to not speak to their messiah in this way, but Kannin tells Cressida to use her own power to look deeper, and she will see the danger Pilgrim possesses. Cressida proceeds to follow Kannin's advice and use her foresight again, this time having a vision of a dead world destroyed by Pilgrim, who proceeds to snap her neck. This vision greatly shakes her belief, causing her to become terrified of Pilgrim. When she cannot find Kannin, she questions if Pilgrim killed her, but he reveals he used the chamber to take her Gift, and sent her to tell Sanzō of the power Pilgrim now possesses. Pilgrim announces to his followers that all must accept the Gift, and those who do not will be killed. Cressida tries to disuade him from this, but he tells her it is time for her to accept the Gift herself. She claims that she already has a Gift and does not want another, and as the final battle dawns on them she finally tells him of what she saw in her vision. She explains that she has loved him in so many ways, but that he is not meant to have the Gift, and it has corrupted his mind. He strikes her to ground and says after the battle ends she will accept the Gift without argument. This prompts her to flee from the temple during the chaos of Pilgrim fighting the warriors of the Badlands, being led out to safety by a young Dark One named Eli. On the river shore she is confronted by Nathaniel Moon, Lydia's lover who has tracked her down to enact revenge. However, before he can kill her, he is attacked by a Dark One, giving Cressida a chance to escape on a motor boat. Nathaniel kills the Dark One and then shouts to Cressida that she better never stop running, because no matter where she goes he will find her. After this, she is not seen again.
Powers & Abilities[]
- Blood Magic: Cressida possesses the incredibly rare power of blood magic, able to perform various spells by either using her own blood or consuming the blood of animals. The most overt instance of this ability was when she was captured by the Widow's forces, and proceeded to use her magic by cutting her own tongue in order to make it rain blood from the sky in order to hinder their war effort.
- Foresight: Cressida most commonly uses her blood magic in order to see into the future, often being able to tell what people are going to say to her before they actually finish their sentence. During a full moon, her and Pilgrim are able to perform a blood ritual letting her see multiple different pathways into the future at once.
- Blood Gift: In the most dangerous application of her blood magic, Cressida can use it to give herself powers indistinguishable from the Gift, by directly seeing a few seconds into the future she is able to predict her opponents attacks and dodge them with a supernatural level of precision.
- Leadership: Cressida was capable of leading Pilgrim's followers in his absence on several occasions, and was arguably the initial true leader of their coalition. This ability was key enough to Pilgrim's group that the Widow's forces considered capturing Cressida a massive resources in the war against Pilgrim, as it left them without their chief advisor.
- Martial Arts: During Gaius' attack on the temple, Cressida was able to help overpower and kill one of the assassins, showing a level of combat proficiency. She also fought and overpowered Lydia during their final confrontation, but it is hard to say if that was her actual combat ability or solely her Blood Gift.
Quotes[]
| “ | People are so thirsty to believe they grasp at false idols instead of reaching for something greater. | „ |
| ~ Cressida attempting to indoctrinate Lydia. |
| “ | Your love for the boy has clouded your perception. You knew his time had come, but you refused to do what needed to be done. I allowed Castor to fight with dignity, like the warrior he was. I chose the righteous path! | „ |
| ~ Cressida rationalizing sending Castor to his death. |
| “ | I can smell it on your every breath. A new life has taken root inside of you. You are with child. Your Gift is for killing, mine is for seeing. What has happened, what will happen. Give up this fight, or your unborn child will die, even if you survive. Is that a sacrifice that you can live with? | „ |
| ~ Cressida taunting the Widow. |
| “ | May you be welcome onto Azra. | „ |
| ~ Cressida as she kills Lydia. |
| “ | You were not meant to have this Gift. You can control the Gift in others but now yours controls you. It is twisting your faith. | „ |
| ~ Cressida's last words to Pilgrim. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The Azran symbol that is present on Cressida's forehead appears to be the symbol of the American rock band Blue Öyster Cult.
- Although she is the only witch seen in the series, Cressida implies that when she found Pilgrim that she was a part of a group that had other priestess' like herself.
- Considering the Gift is stated to have come from energy that was extracted from the Earth itself, Cressida is the only known character in the world to truly possess supernatural magic.
External Links[]
- Cressida on the Into the Badlands Wiki
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 Villains
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Armadillo Territory Butterfly Territory Fox Territory Pickaxe Territory Other Territories Dark Ones The Black Lotus Other | ||